Cairo

Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt, boasting the largest metropolitan area in the Middle East (15th in the world) and ancient Egyptian ruins at the ancient city of Memphis and the Pyramids of Giza. Cairo was founded in 969 CE by Jawhar al-Siqilli as the capital of the Fatimid Caliphate, and the city was nicknamed the "city of a thousand minarets" for the abundance of Islamic buildings and architecture. Cairo is also home to al-Azhar University, the world's second-oldest higher learning institute, which was founded in 970 CE, a year after the city, as well as the oldest and largest music and film industries in the Arab World. In 2011, 20,439,541 people lived in the Cairo metropolitan area, with 89% being Sunni Muslims and 11% being either Christian, Shi'ite, or of other smaller faiths.